Carton with locking slide and tray



Aug. 17, 1954 J MCELWEE 2,686,627

CARTON WITH LOCKING SLIDE AND TRAY Filed April 11, 1951 3mm1tor a 6m wa m I (Ittorneg Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES Joseph A. McElwee, Rittman, Ohio. assignor to The Ohio Boxboard Company, Rittman, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application April 11, 1951, Serial No. 220,418

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to paperboard cartons, and particularly to cartons of the slide and tray type the parts of which function in telescoping relation.

In such cartons, especially when the packaged goods are relatively heavy or of a shiitable nature, the tray and slide are apt to shift relatively, thus making likely spilling or loss of the contents.

One object of the present invention is to provide a carton of the slide and tray type with means for normally locking the loaded tray in appropriate enclosed condition within the slide but which may readily be disengaged to permit relative shifting of the slide and tray to give access to the contents.

Another object of the invention is to provide such locking means as integral parts of the blanks from which the slide and tray are formed and which will assume their proper functional positions upon formation of the blanks to usable condition.

A further object is to provide a tray, for the tray and slide combination of the invention, formed from a paperboard blank of more or less conventional form, but so modified as to provide in the assembled tray an element of the locking means of the invention.

The invention comprises a carton of slide and tray form, including, in the structure of the tray, opposite end walls each comprising an outer member and an inner member in folded relation and between which securing flaps of the side walls are embraced to hold the side walls in proper set-up condition, the inner members of the end walls having upon their free edges offstanding locking tabs for extension through openings in the tray bottom to maintain set-up assembly of the tray, the said locking tabs projecting below the outer surface of the tray bottom and serving for lockin engagement ith the end edges of the bottom of the slide when the tray is enclosed therein to maintain desired assembled relation of the slide and tray, but being disengageable therefrom to permit withdrawal, or partial withdrawal, of the tray from the slide, and the said end edges oi the slide bottom preferably being notched to accommodate the locking tabs with the slide and tray in end-and-end alignment, all as will be explained hereinafter more fully and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, in the several figures of Which like parts are similarly designated,

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the blank from which the tray of the carton of the invention is formed,

Fig. 2 is a top perspective view of a tray par tially set up from the blank of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the completely set up tray,

Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the slide of the carton, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the assembled slide and tray, showing the cooperation of the locking elements in accordance with the invention.

Having reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the blank for the tray of the carton is somewhat conventional in form as respects the nature and arrangement of its major parts, and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 these parts are assembled in a more or less conventional manner.

Also, having reference to Fig. 4, it will be apparent that the slide is of rather conventional form, being merely the usual tubular sleeve with which the tray may be assembled, and from which it may be removed, or partially removed, by simple endwise sliding action.

It is in the details of the tray, and preferably of the slide also, that the locking means of the invention reside, as will now be pointed out.

The tray blank, Fig. 1, comprises a sheet of paperboard material provided with appropriate cuts and folding scores to form a bottom 5 with side walls 2 integral therewith and defined there from by folding scores 3, and similar end walls defined from the bottom by folding scores and each comprising, when the tray is set up, an outer member 5 and an inner member 6 sepa rated by the folding scores The side walls are provided with securing flaps 3' bendable upon folding scores 9.

At the ends of the bottom l and terminating at the folding scores 2 between it and the end walls, are cuts iii which, when the end walls are in set-up condition, provide openings or slots H for the reception of locking tabs l2 offstanding from the free edges of the inner members 6 of the end wa ls and adapted to maintain the set-up assembly of the tray in a known manner.

However, as distinguished from the usual looking tabs of this general character and combination of parts, those formed in accordance with the invention are of a length or projection suifn cient not only to engage the Walls of the openings it but to extend. therethrough and project beneath the bottom of the tray for engagement with the end edges of the slide bottom, as will later appear.

In assembling the tray the usual procedure is followed in that the side walls 2 are bent upwardly at right angles to the bottom I upon their folding scores 3, and their securing flaps 8 are bent inwardly upon their folding scores 9 so that they overlie the bottom in substantial alignment with the end folding scores l. Then the end walls are bent upwardly upon their folding scores 4 and'the' inner members 6 thereof bent downwardly upon the intermediate folding scores I so that the securing flaps 8 are em braced between the outer andinner members 5 and 6 of the end walls, andthe locking tabs I2 are snapped into the openings H to maintain this assembly, all as indicatedin Figs; 2' and 3'.

The slide is, as hereinbefore mentioned, of rather conventional form, being: arectangular tube having a top I3, bottom I4 and sides I5, one of which sides comprises the conventional glue lap I6. In order, however, that the slide and tray, when'assembled togethenmay be in-endand-end alignment, theendedges of the slide bottom- I4 are provided with notches I? to ac commodate the locking tabs. I2 of the tray end Walls and the'down turned-portions of the bottom of the tray where the cuts IE3 are located to produce the openings I .I

As shown in Fig. 5, when the-tray and slide are assembled't0gethe1'"thelocking tabs I2 of the tray will snap over the. end" edges of the slide bottom and into the'notches I I therein, thus preventing accidental or inadvertent separation of theslide'and tray. However, when it is desired toopen the car-ton, for access to the contents of the tray, this may be. accomplished merely by exerting pressure simultaneously against both side walls of the slide, which-willserve to distort the bottom downwardly suiiiciently to permit disengagement of the locking, tab at one end while the-"tray is pushed toward: the opposite end to open it.

It will be apparent that; in accordance with the invention, the loekingtabs I2, which in themselves as elements of the tray assembly means are not novel, assume a double function made possible by their increased projection and the association of the tray with aslide to provide an enclosed carton, namely to=maintain assembled condition of the'part's of the tray and to lock the'tray in enclosed condition within the slide, and this is believed .to-xbe novel,- 7

Various changes and modifications are believed to be within the principleofthe invention and the scope of thefollowing claims:

vided with an oiistanding locking tab, and said bottom being provided with openings. adjacent to said outer end wall members for the reception and retention of said locking tabs in positionto hold said inner and outer end wall members' in substantially juxtaposed assembled relation, a slide ofopen-ended tubular form adapted to embrace in juxtaposed engagement the side walls, bottom and open top edges of said tray and with which the tray may be assembled and disassembled by telescoping sliding movement endwise of said open ends, the tabs of the inner end wall. members of the tray ofistanding from said inner members to an extent greater than the thickness of the bottom and suilicienttherefore to insure their projection beyond theouter surface of said bottom when the end walls are assembled, said tabs serving to lockingly engage the edges of the opposite ends or the wall of the slide juxtaposed to the tray bottom when the tray and slide are in fully assembled telerelation to thereby prevent inadvertent relative endwise movement of the tray and slide.

2. A carton as claimed in claim 1, in which the endedges of the wali of the slide juxtaposed to said tray bottoinare notched to accommodate the said locking tabs within the overall length of the slide.

References Gited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Bate 698,117 Jordan Apr. 22, 1932 930,882 Perkins Aug. 10, 1%9 973,174 Connolly Oct. 18, 1910 1,259,657 Morgan Mar. 19, 1918 1,899,772 Richardson Feb. 28, 1933 2,124,036 ,Klein July 19, 1938 2,458,951 Barter May 3, 1949' 2,481,302 Fogel Sept. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 502,873 Germany 1- July 17, 1930 395,501 Great Britain July 2%, i933 

